Older People

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the likely  (a) number and  (b) proportion of those aged over 85 years in each local authority area in 2020.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	  Letter from Stephen Penneck , dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking what estimate he has made of the likely  (a) number and  (b) proportion of those aged over 85 years in each local authority area in 2020 (23946)
	The most recent subnational population projections for England are based on the mid-year population estimates for 2008. The projected number and percentage of the population aged 86 and above for each local authority in England in 2020 is given in the attached table.
	
		
			  2008-Based s ubnational  p opulation  p rojections 
			  Table 1: Projected number and percentage of persons aged 86 and over in 2020 
			  Area name  Persons aged 86 and over (thousand)  Persons aged 86 and over (percentage) 
			 City of London 0.1 0.7 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3.0 1.6 
			 Barnet 9.1 2.4 
			 Bexley 5.6 2.3 
			 Brent 5.2 2.0 
			 Bromley 9.0 2.6 
			 Camden 2.7 1.0 
			 Croydon 7.1 1.9 
			 Ealing 5.4 1.6 
			 Enfield 6.2 2.0 
			 Greenwich 3.8 1.6 
			 Hackney 2.5 1.1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2.7 1.6 
			 Haringey 2.6 1.1 
			 Harrow 5.0 2.0 
			 Havering 6.6 2.6 
			 Hillingdon 5.2 1.8 
			 Hounslow 3.1 1.2 
			 Islington 2.0 1.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5.3 2.8 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3.4 1.7 
			 Lambeth 3.1 1.0 
			 Lewisham 3.1 1.1 
			 Merton 3.9 1.7 
			 Newham 2.5 1.0 
			 Redbridge 4.9 1.6 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3.9 1.8 
			 Southwark 4.0 1.2 
			 Sutton 4.2 2.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 2.1 0.8 
			 Waltham Forest 3.0 1.3 
			 Wandsworth 4.3 1.4 
			 Westminster 4.5 1.5 
			 Bolton 5.4 2.0 
			 Bury 4.2 2.2 
			 Manchester 7.3 1.4 
			 Oldham 4.5 2.0 
			 Rochdale 4.3 2.1 
			 Salford 4.8 2.0 
			 Stockport 7.9 2.7 
			 Tameside 4.7 2.1 
			 Trafford 5.5 2.4 
			 Wigan 6.0 1.9 
			 Knowsley 3.2 2.1 
			 Liverpool 7.9 1.8 
			 St. Helens 3.7 2.1 
			 Sefton 8.7 3.2 
			 Wirral 9.3 3.1 
			 Barnsley 4.9 2.0 
			 Doncaster 7.0 2.3 
			 Rotherham 5.8 2.2 
			 Sheffield 12.4 2.1 
			 Gateshead 4.7 2.4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 6.7 2.3 
			 North Tyneside 5.2 2.4 
			 South Tyneside 4.3 2.7 
			 Sunderland 6.5 2.3 
			 Birmingham 20.6 1.9 
			 Coventry 7.0 2.1 
			 Dudley 8.1 2.5 
			 Sandwell 6.4 2.1 
			 Solihull 6.2 2.9 
			 Walsall 6.6 2.5 
			 Wolverhampton 6.4 2.6 
			 Bradford 10.6 1.8 
			 Calderdale 4.8 2.2 
			 Kirklees 8.9 2.0 
			 Leeds 17.7 2.0 
			 Wakefield 8.1 2.4 
			 Hartlepool UA 1.9 2.0 
			 Middlesbrough UA 3.5 2.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 3.7 2.6 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 4.6 2.3 
			 Darlington UA 2.8 2.7 
			 Halton UA 2.1 1.7 
			 Warrington UA 4.4 2.1 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 2.3 1.6 
			 Blackpool UA 3.6 2.5 
			 Kingston upon Hull; City of UA 5.0 1.7 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 11.4 3.1 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 4.2 2.6 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 4.6 2.6 
			 York UA 5.7 2.6 
			 Derby UA 6.3 2.3 
			 Leicester UA 5.1 1.5 
			 Rutland UA 1.5 3.5 
			 Nottingham UA 4.8 1.4 
			 Herefordshire; County of UA 6.7 3.6 
			 Telford and Wrekin UA 3.7 2.2 
			 Stoke-on-Trent UA 5.0 2.0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset UA 5.4 2.8 
			 Bristol; City of UA 8.6 1.7 
			 North Somerset UA 8.0 3.2 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 6.9 2.3 
			 Plymouth UA 6.6 2.3 
			 Torbay UA 6.2 4.3 
			 Bournemouth UA 6.5 3.8 
			 Poole UA 5.4 3.6 
			 Swindon UA 4.6 2.0 
			 Peterborough UA 3.5 1.8 
			 Luton UA 3.2 1.5 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 5.4 3.0 
			 Thurrock UA 3.1 1.7 
			 Medway UA 4.8 1.8 
			 Bracknell Forest UA 2.4 1.9 
			 West Berkshire UA 3.8 2.3 
			 Reading UA 3.3 2.0 
			 Slough UA 2.3 1.6 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 3.9 2.5 
			 Wokingham UA 4.2 2.3 
			 Milton Keynes UA 4.6 1.7 
			 Brighton and Hove UA 6.4 2.4 
			 Portsmouth UA 4.5 2.0 
			 Southampton UA 5.6 2.1 
			 Isle of Wight UA 6.0 3.9 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 2.8 1.9 
			 Bedford 4.4 2.6 
			 South Bedfordshire 3.0 2.3 
			 Aylesbury Vale 4.6 2.5 
			 Chiltern 3.2 3.3 
			 South Bucks 2.4 3.2 
			 Wycombe 4.5 2.7 
			 Cambridge 2.7 2.1 
			 East Cambridgeshire 2.6 2.7 
			 Fenland 3.4 3.2 
			 Huntingdonshire 4.3 2.4 
			 South Cambridgeshire 4.4 2.7 
			 Chester 3.6 3.1 
			 Congleton 3.0 3.1 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 3.2 2.5 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 2.1 2.7 
			 Macclesfield 5.5 3.5 
			 Vale Royal 3.6 2.6 
			 Caradon 3.0 3.2 
			 Carrick 3.9 3.9 
			 Kerrier 3.3 3.0 
			 North Cornwall 3.3 3.4 
			 Penwith 2.6 3.9 
			 Restormel 3.6 3.2 
			 Isles of Scilly 0.1 3.3 
			 Allerdale 2.9 3.0 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 1.9 2.6 
			 Carlisle 3.2 2.8 
			 Copeland 1.8 2.5 
			 Eden 1.8 3.4 
			 South Lakeland 4.3 4.0 
			 Amber Valley 3.7 2.9 
			 Bolsover 1.8 2.3 
			 Chesterfield 2.9 2.7 
			 Derbyshire Dales 2.6 3.6 
			 Erewash 3.1 2.7 
			 High Peak 3.0 3.0 
			 North East Derbyshire 2.8 2.8 
			 South Derbyshire 2.2 2.1 
			 East Devon 6.8 4.6 
			 Exeter 3.5 2.7 
			 Mid Devon 2.6 3.1 
			 North Devon 3.4 3.4 
			 South Hams 3.1 3.5 
			 Teignbridge 5.6 4.1 
			 Torridge 2.4 3.3 
			 West Devon 2.0 3.4 
			 Christchurch 2.4 4.7 
			 East Dorset 4.1 4.3 
			 North Dorset 2.4 3.5 
			 Purbeck 1.9 3.9 
			 West Dorset 5.0 4.9 
			 Weymouth and Portland 2.5 3.9 
			 Chester-le-Street 1.4 2.6 
			 Derwentside 2.4 2.5 
			 Durham 1.9 1.8 
			 Easington 2.3 2.3 
			 Sedgefield 2.2 2.4 
			 Teesdale 0.7 3.0 
			 Wear Valley 1.7 2.4 
			 Eastbourne 4.6 4.2 
			 Hastings 2.6 2.8 
			 Lewes 4.6 4.5 
			 Rother 4.8 4.9 
			 Wealden 5.9 3.9 
			 Basildon 4.4 2.2 
			 Braintree 4.4 2.7 
			 Brentwood 2.6 3.1 
			 Castle Point 3.1 3.3 
			 Chelmsford 4.3 2.3 
			 Colchester 4.6 2.2 
			 Epping Forest 3.7 2.8 
			 Harlow 2.0 2.4 
			 Maldon 2.0 2.8 
			 Rochford 2.6 2.9 
			 Tendring 7.6 4.5 
			 Uttlesford 2.3 2.8 
			 Cheltenham 3.9 3.2 
			 Cotswold 3.1 3.5 
			 Forest of Dean 2.6 3.0 
			 Gloucester 2.9 2.3 
			 Stroud 3.6 3.1 
			 Tewkesbury 2.8 3.2 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 3.6 2.0 
			 East Hampshire 3.8 3.2 
			 Eastleigh 3.2 2.4 
			 Fareham 4.5 3.8 
			 Gosport 2.5 2.8 
			 Hart 2.4 2.3 
			 Havant 4.6 3.8 
			 New Forest 8.6 4.5 
			 Rushmoor 2.5 2.5 
			 Test Valley 3.6 3.0 
			 Winchester 4.1 3.4 
			 Broxbourne 2.2 2.3 
			 Dacorum 4.0 2.7 
			 East Hertfordshire 3.9 2.7 
			 Hertsmere 3.2 3.0 
			 North Hertfordshire 4.1 3.0 
			 St Albans 3.5 2.3 
			 Stevenage 1.7 2.0 
			 Three Rivers 2.8 2.9 
			 Watford 1.8 1.9 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 3.1 2.3 
			 Ashford 3.6 2.8 
			 Canterbury 4.6 2.8 
			 Dartford 2.3 2.1 
			 Dover 3.8 3.4 
			 Gravesham 2.6 2.4 
			 Maidstone 4.3 2.6 
			 Sevenoaks 3.8 3.0 
			 Shepway 3.4 3.1 
			 Swale 3.0 2.1 
			 Thanet 4.4 3.1 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 3.2 2.4 
			 Tunbridge Wells 3.4 3.0 
			 Burnley 2.2 2.6 
			 Chorley 2.5 2.2 
			 Fylde 3.1 4.0 
			 Hyndburn 1.8 2.2 
			 Lancaster 4.0 2.7 
			 Pendle 2.2 2.4 
			 Preston 2.5 1.8 
			 Ribble Valley 1.7 2.8 
			 Rossendale 1.4 2.0 
			 South Ribble 2.7 2.4 
			 West Lancashire 2.9 2.6 
			 Wyre 3.9 3.3 
			 Blaby 2.8 2.8 
			 Charnwood 4.3 2.4 
			 Harborough 2.7 2.9 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 2.9 2.5 
			 Melton 1.4 2.8 
			 North West Leicestershire 2.4 2.5 
			 Oadby and Wigston 1.9 3.0 
			 Boston 1.9 2.9 
			 East Lindsey 5.5 3.5 
			 Lincoln 2.5 2.8 
			 North Kesteven 3.4 2.9 
			 South Holland 3.3 3.5 
			 South Kesteven 4.1 2.9 
			 West Lindsey 2.9 2.9 
			 Breckland 5.0 3.5 
			 Broadland 4.5 3.3 
			 Great Yarmouth 3.2 3.0 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 5.3 3.4 
			 North Norfolk 5.3 4.7 
			 Norwich 3.7 2.3 
			 South Norfolk 4.1 3.1 
			 Corby 1.1 1.8 
			 Daventry 1.9 2.2 
			 East Northamptonshire 2.4 2.5 
			 Kettering 2.3 2.3 
			 Northampton 4.8 2.0 
			 South Northamptonshire 2.2 2.2 
			 Wellingborough 1.7 2.1 
			 Alnwick 1.1 3.0 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 1.4 5.1 
			 Blyth Valley 1.8 2.2 
			 Castle Morpeth 1.6 3.1 
			 Tynedale 2.1 3.5 
			 Wansbeck 1.7 2.6 
			 Craven 2.3 3.9 
			 Hambleton 2.9 3.2 
			 Harrogate 5.8 3.5 
			 Richmondshire 1.5 2.6 
			 Ryedale 1.9 3.4 
			 Scarborough 3.9 3.4 
			 Selby 2.0 2.2 
			 Ashfield 2.8 2.3 
			 Bassetlaw 3.2 2.7 
			 Broxtowe 2.9 2.4 
			 Gedling 3.4 2.8 
			 Mansfield 2.7 2.6 
			 Newark and Sherwood 3.3 2.7 
			 Rushcliffe 3.5 2.9 
			 Cherwell 3.7 2.5 
			 Oxford 2.9 1.9 
			 South Oxfordshire 4.0 2.9 
			 Vale of White Horse 3.7 3.0 
			 West Oxfordshire 3.9 3.4 
			 Bridgnorth 1.9 3.5 
			 North Shropshire 2.2 3.4 
			 Oswestry 1.4 3.0 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 3.3 3.4 
			 South Shropshire 1.9 4.1 
			 Mendip 3.8 3.3 
			 Sedgemoor 3.8 3.1 
			 South Somerset 6.0 3.5 
			 Taunton Deane 4.4 3.7 
			 West Somerset 2.1 5.7 
			 Cannock Chase 2.0 2.1 
			 East Staffordshire 3.1 2.7 
			 Lichfield 3.0 2.8 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 3.5 2.7 
			 South Staffordshire 3.6 3.4 
			 Stafford 3.9 2.9 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 3.0 3.0 
			 Tamworth 1.6 2.0 
			 Babergh 3.4 3.7 
			 Forest Heath 1.5 2.1 
			 Ipswich 3.2 2.2 
			 Mid Suffolk 3.2 2.9 
			 St Edmundsbury 3.3 3.0 
			 Suffolk Coastal 5.1 3.5 
			 Waveney 4.8 3.7 
			 Elmbridge 4.3 3.0 
			 Epsom and Ewell 2.1 2.6 
			 Guildford 3.6 2.5 
			 Mole Valley 3.0 3.3 
			 Reigate and Banstead 4.3 2.8 
			 Runnymede 2.6 2.9 
			 Spelthorne 2.8 2.9 
			 Surrey Heath 2.3 2.6 
			 Tandridge 3.1 3.5 
			 Waverley 4.6 3.7 
			 Woking 2.6 2.6 
			 North Warwickshire 1.6 2.5 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 2.9 2.3 
			 Rugby 2.7 2.6 
			 Stratford-on-Avon 4.3 3.3 
			 Warwick 4.1 2.6 
			 Adur 2.0 3.1 
			 Arun 7.6 4.6 
			 Chichester 4.7 3.8 
			 Crawley 3.1 2.6 
			 Horsham 4.6 3.3 
			 Mid Sussex 4.4 3.1 
			 Worthing 4.3 3.8 
			 Kennet 2.3 2.8 
			 North Wiltshire 3.7 2.5 
			 Salisbury 4.2 3.5 
			 West Wiltshire 4.7 3.3 
			 Bromsgrove 3.5 3.5 
			 Malvern Hills 3.4 4.3 
			 Redditch 1.7 2.1 
			 Worcester 2.2 2.3 
			 Wychavon 3.9 3.2 
			 Wyre Forest 3.2 3.1 
			  Notes: The subnational population projections are demographic trend based projections that indicate what the population of an area is likely to be if recently observed trends in fertility, mortality and migration were to continue. They take no account of future policies or developments which may affect trends. For details about the methodology used to produce the 2008-based subnational population projections please see the Methodology Guide at the following web page: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/snpp-2008/2008_based_SNPP_Methodology_Guide.pdf For further information regarding methodology please email: snpp@ons.gov.uk The data are Crown Copyright. They may be reproduced freely within your organisation, but they must not be used for commercial use. For further information please see Subnational Population Projections Terms and Conditions of Use. Commercial use licences can be obtained from ONS - please email: snpp@ons.gov.uk  Source: Population Projections Unit, ONS: Crown Copyright. Office for National Statistics

Older People: Females

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people over 50 years old resident in  (a) Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) England are female.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what percentage of people over 50 years resident in (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North Constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England are female (24472).
	The table below shows the number of females aged over 50 years as a percentage of the total population aged over 50 years, for the latest year for which data are available.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Mid-2007  Mid-2009 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne North 55.0 (1)- 
			 North East 53.7 53.4 
			 England 53.6 53.4 
			 (1) Data not available.  Source: Office for National Statistics.

Public Sector: Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he plans to take to encourage public bodies to observe the 2009 guidance of the Office of Government Commerce, Promoting skills through public procurement, as part of their procurement procedures.

Francis Maude: The primary purpose of Government procurement is to buy goods and services the Government need, at the best combination of quality and whole-life costs to obtain the best value for money.
	Departments are free to build skills and Apprenticeships requirements into their procurement exercises, where relevant and consistent with Government procurement policy and EU treaty principles of openness, non-discrimination and proportionality. Decisions on the inclusion of such requirements have to be taken on a case-by-case basis, driven by the imperative of optimising value for money.

Conditional Fee Agreement

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing the proposed transition from the conditional fee agreement scheme to the proposed contingency fees scheme;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of claims of the implementation of his proposal for a contingency fees scheme;
	(3)  what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the likely effects on the level of fairness in respect of access to the justice system of the implementation of his proposal for the replacement of conditional fee agreements with a contingency fees scheme;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the average annual saving to the Exchequer consequent on the implementation of his proposals to end conditional fee agreements;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the net effect on Exchequer revenue, taking into account the estimated change in the number of litigation actions against the Government, of the proposed replacement of conditional fee agreements with a contingency fees scheme in each of the first five years of the operation of that proposed scheme.

Jonathan Djanogly: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr Kenneth Clarke) informed the House on 15 November  Official Report, columns 659-72, the Government have now published the consultation paper, 'Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs: Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations'. This includes proposals relating to the reform of conditional fee agreements (CFAs) and damages-based agreements (DBAs) or contingency fees. I should make it clear that Sir Rupert Jackson did not recommend replacing CFAs with contingency fees or DBAs. Rather he suggested that CFAs should be reformed and that DBAs should be permitted in litigation as an additional funding mechanism. That is what we are consulting on.
	The intention is to increase the choice of funding options available to claimants to pursue necessary claims. Sir Rupert is of the view that implementing his proposals, particularly those on the reform of CFAs, would deliver significant costs savings including for Government. The consultation paper and preliminary impact assessments are available on the Ministry of Justice website:
	www.justice.gov.uk
	We are seeking further data from those responding to the consultation.

Departmental Lobbying

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent from the public purse on influencing public policy through  (a) employing external (i) public affairs companies, (ii) strategic consultancies and (iii) corporate communications firms,  (b) external marketing and  (c) other activities in each year since its inception.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not centrally collate data on expenditure on influencing public policy. It would incur disproportionate costs to examine every transaction made relating to public affairs companies, strategic consultancies, corporate communications firms and external marketing.
	It is though, possible to provide information relating to the MoJ, its agencies and NDPBs' total expenditure on consultants since 2007, and the MoJ and its agencies' expenditure on external marketing since 2008.
	The total expenditure on consultants for the MoJ, its agencies and NDPBs (rounded to the nearest million) was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 61,000,000 
			 2008-09 53,000,000 
			 2009-10 42,000,000 
		
	
	The MoJ's definition for consultancy is:
	"Professional services provided by, for example, lawyers, surveyors and architects and the employment of specialists on an interim basis to deliver project solutions, providing expertise for a defined period of time that is not available in-house."
	For external marketing, the expenditure provided is for the MoJ and its agencies but not the NDPBs. Many NDPBs; including but not limited to the Legal Services Board, the Information Commissioner's Office and the Legal Ombudsman, do not spend any of their budgets on external marketing or informing public policy. Other NDPBs do not record their external marketing expenditure separately from their total communications spend. It would incur disproportionate cost to indentify external marketing expenditure for the NDPBs.
	I have provided the information for 2008-09 and 2009-10. Due to changes in the MoJ's organisational structure it would not be possible to indentify the external marketing expenditure for 2007-08 without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The total expenditure on external marketing for MOJ and its agencies (rounded to the nearest million) was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 4,000,000 
			 2009-10 5,000,000

Prisoners: Self-Harm

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of self-harm were recorded amongst  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  2009 
			   Number 
			  Self-harm incidents  
			 Male and Female 24,114 
			 Male 13,688 
			 Female 10,426 
			   
			  Individuals self-harming( 1)  
			 Male and Female 6,977 
			 Male 5,403 
			 Female 1,574 
			 (1) The numbers of different individuals are based on prison numbers. An individual who was in prison custody on two occasions during a year but with two different numbers would be counted twice if he/she had self harmed at least once each time.  Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level. 
		
	
	NOMS has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This encompasses a wide spectrum of Prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, substance misuse and resettlement. Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is cared for using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures.

Prisons

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of children in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) London and  (c) the South East have at least one parent in prison.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the proportion of children in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) London and  (c) the South East who have at least one parent in prison. However, according to a self-report survey of 1,435 adult prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in England and Wales in 2005-06, 54% of prisoners had children under the age of 18 at the time of imprisonment.

Prisons: Young People

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young adults entered the prison system for the first time in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The table shows figures for offenders receiving their first immediate custodial sentence at the age of 18 to 20, as recorded on the police national computer. These figures are derived from table 6.3 of "Sentencing Statistics: England and Wales 2009" which was published on 21 October 2010.
	
		
			  Offenders aged 18-20 receiving an immediate custodial sentence for an indictable offence, with no previous custodial sentences, 2007 to 2009, England and Wales 
			   Number of offenders aged 18-20 sentenced to immediate custody  Number of offenders aged 18-20 receiving their first immediate custodial sentence 
			 2007 12,601 5,949 
			 2008 12,524 5,791 
			 2009 12,108 5,705 
		
	
	The figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Reoffenders: Public Expenditure

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he made of the likely effects of the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review on reoffending rates.

Crispin Blunt: The Government believe that by introducing more effective sentencing policies and rehabilitative services we can deliver greater reductions in reoffending, deter future crime and protect the public. We will publish our proposals for a new approach to sentencing and rehabilitation, and how we will deliver more for less, in a Green Paper to be published in December. The Green Paper will be open to public consultation. We are conducting a full impact assessment of these proposals.

Breast Cancer

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further steps he plans to take to reduce mortality from breast cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Steps to reduce mortality from breast cancer will be taken through our public health strategy, cancer drugs fund and refreshed cancer reform strategy.
	Lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, the harmful use of alcohol, drug misuse, poor diet and nutrition, being overweight and physical inactivity are acknowledged risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including breast cancer. Later this year, we will publish a Public Health White Paper setting out details of our strategy for improving public health and reducing the risk factors associated with developing conditions such as breast cancer.
	Diagnosing cancer earlier is also important in reducing mortality. Experts estimate that the NHS Breast Screening Programme saves 1,400 lives per year by diagnosing cancer earlier. The Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) included the commitment that the NHS Breast Screening Programme would be extended to women aged 47 to 73. In June this year, we confirmed in the "Revision to the NHS Operating Framework 2010-11" that all local breast screening programmes should begin the extension in 2010-11 ensuring that more women have the opportunity to benefit from the screening service.
	In September, as part of the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, we announced that £9 million would be provided to support 59 campaigns that will work to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast, bowel and lung cancers and to encourage early presentation at a general practitioner surgery.
	Through the Cancer Drugs Fund, we will give cancer patients better access to the drugs that their clinicians believe will help them, and on 1 October, we allocated £50 million to the NHS to enable cancer patients to access appropriate drugs now. Following the spending review, we have committed £200 million per year for the drugs fund for the next three years, and are consulting on proposals for establishment of the fund.
	We are also undertaking a review of the CRS to ensure that we have the right strategy to deliver improved outcomes for cancer patients including survival and mortality. We plan to publish the report later this winter.

Departmental Manpower

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members of staff were employed in the Ministerial correspondence unit of his Department in each of the last two years.

Anne Milton: The customer service centre uses a significant proportion of non-permanent workers within the correspondence teams in order to maintain maximum flexibility to meet the Department's targets for responding to correspondence. Therefore, the number of staff in post at any one time fluctuates on a daily basis.
	At 1 April 2009 there were 56.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in post working in the customer service centre correspondence unit of which 32.2 were permanent FTE staff and 24.5 were agency staff filling FTE posts.
	At 1 April 2010, there were 57.94 full-time equivalent staff in post of which 33.74 were permanent FTE staff and 24.2 were agency staff filling FTE posts. The correspondence unit processes, on average, 86,000 pieces of correspondence per year.

General Practitioners

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what processes he plans to put in place to enable patients to raise concerns regarding serious misconduct on the part of their GP following the abolition of primary care trusts; what the process will be for suspending GPs when such concerns are found to be of sufficient  (a) merit and  (b) importance to warrant suspension; and what arrangements will be put in place to provide care for the patient while investigations are completed.

Simon Burns: Currently a NHS complaint may be made to either the local practice or the commissioning body. The reformed NHS complaints arrangements were put in place in 2009, following a widespread public consultation, and it is envisaged that the underlying principles will remain as responsibility for commissioning services shifts to commissioning consortiums and the NHS Commissioning Board.
	The National Health Service (Performers Lists) Regulations 2004 provide for primary care trusts (PCTs) to manage suspension of general practitioners. Following the abolition of PCTs, it will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board to ensure that patients continue to have access to primary medical services. The detailed arrangements for the management of Performers Lists are currently being considered by Ministers and departmental officials.

NHS: ICT

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to  (a) his Department,  (b) NHS Connecting for Health and  (c) the National Programme for IT was of employing a team of information security architects in each year since the National Programme for IT began.

Paul Burstow: Since it came into being in April 2005, NHS Connecting for Health has been responsible, within the Department, both for central expenditure necessary for ensuring delivery of systems and services under the national programme for information technology (NPfIT), and for maintaining the critical business systems previously provided to the national health service by the former NHS Information Authority.
	Relevant expenditure in the years for which information is readily available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 NPfIT 1,973 3,040 2,103 857 
			 Other NHS Connecting for Health 323 650 644 517 
			 Total 2,296 3,690 2,747 1,374 
			  Notes: 1. No dedicated team of information security architects has been employed. Figures relate to staff working in the role of information security architect in the period. 2. Figures include national insurance and pension contributions for permanent staff, and VAT, where applicable, for expenditure on contractor staff. 3. Figures exclude office and other employment costs, and expenses (e.g. travel and subsistence) payments. 4. Information prior to 2006-07 for NPfIT was held by the NHS Information Authority, which was abolished in March 2005.

NHS: Manpower

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on the number of NHS  (a) managers,  (b) frontline staff,  (c) junior doctors and  (d) nurses.

Simon Burns: The precise number of national health service managers, frontline staff, junior doctors and nurses required over the next five years will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
	The Department has consulted on how the new organisations should be designed and is analysing responses. Information on how the new organisations should be designed will be announced in due course.

NHS: Manpower

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists he expects to be working in the NHS in each of the next five years.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently undertaking a dental workforce review, which will include a sample survey of dentists' working patterns and career plans. Initial results should be available next spring.

Palliative Care

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanism he plans to put in place for  (a) commissioning,  (b) monitoring and  (c) auditing procedures to ensure GP consortia provide high-quality care and support for terminally-ill patients.

Paul Burstow: The Government's reform proposals are about placing the power and responsibility to commission health services in the hands of national health service professionals who see and talk to patients every day, and know the most about their needs. As such, consortia will be better placed to efficiently commission high-quality services for all, including terminally ill patients.
	An independent NHS Commissioning Board will support consortia, helping them commission for continuous improvements in the quality of all NHS funded services, including those for the terminally ill. The Board will do this by, for example, producing Commissioning Guidance to which consortia should have regard. The Board will also promote choice and patient engagement, help to reduce health inequalities, hold general practitioner consortia to account, directly commission certain services including primary medical care, and allocate and account for NHS resources.
	Liberating the NHS was the start of an extensive consultation on how best to implement these changes. A number of supporting documents were published and in particular, "Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients" invited views on a number of areas of the commissioning agenda. The consultation closed on 11 October, and further details are being worked up as a result of this exercise.

Palliative Care

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what changes in NHS end of life services he envisages as a result of his Department's commitment to 24/7 community nursing to support terminally-ill patients at home;
	(2)  whether the palliative care funding review will publish an interim report.

Paul Burstow: The Government have confirmed their commitment to improving quality and choice in palliative and end of life care in 'Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS'. This includes the commitment to move towards a national choice offer to support people's preferences about care at the end of their life.
	The Department's end of life care strategy provides our blueprint for improving end of life care for adults. The strategy encourages the development of services such as improved community services, rapid response services, access to services in the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week and specialist palliative care outreach services, which will allow more people to choose where they are cared for and die. How these services are provided and resourced is for local determination.
	The independent Palliative Care Funding Review will make recommendations for a funding system that will cover care provided by the national health service, a hospice or any appropriate provider, and which encourages more community-based care, so people can remain in their own homes, or in a care home.
	The review is to make its interim report to Ministers this autumn. Whether the report is published is a matter for the review team to determine.

Higher Education Innovation Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of funding allocations to be made by the Higher Education Innovation Fund in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12,  (c) 2012-13,  (d) 2013-14 and  (e) 2014-15.

John Hayes: The Department is currently forecasting to spend £144.3 million on the higher education innovation fund in financial year 2010-11 (which is £150 million in academic year 2010-11). This grant scheme is administered by the Higher Education Funding Council for England on behalf of BIS.
	Future allocations for science and research between the years 2011-12 and 2014-15 will be covered by the spending review 2010 which has recently been announced at a departmental level. Decisions on the detailed allocations have not yet been taken.

Higher Education: Females

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of first-year undergraduates were female in each of the last five academic years.

John Hayes: holding answer 15 November 2010
	The numbers and proportions of first year undergraduate students who were female are shown in the following table for the academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2011.
	
		
			  UK higher education institutions including the Open University academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09-female first year undergraduates( 1) 
			  Academic year  Number who were female  Proportion who were female (percentage) 
			 2004/05 447,160 59.6 
			 2005/06 469,050 59.6 
			 2006/07 463,135 59.5 
			 2007/08 467,565 59.1 
			 2008/09 492,640 58.8 
			 (1) Covers full-time and part-time undergraduates of all domiciles.  Notes: 1. Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and are rounded to the nearest five. 2. Percentages are given to one decimal place and are based on unrounded figures.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Higher Education: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the level of funding likely to be allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for widening participation in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12,  (c) 2012-13,  (d) 2013-14 and  (e) 2014-15.

John Hayes: The Funding Council's allocation for widening participation in the academic year 2010/11 is £143.4 million. Allocations for future years will be determined by the council in response to the funding and priorities set by the Department, which will be announced for each year in due course.